Hoax caller 'put lives at risk'

The fire service in Cornwall has said lives could have been put at risk after a hoax call.

A fire crew turned up to Hayle Library in the early hours after being told there was a fire at the scene.

They quickly went to the scene assisted by the police, but when they got there they could not find any fire.

The fire service said hoax calling is a crime and telephone companies can give emergency services the numbers of hoax callers and that number can be cut off.

The fire brigade knows the person made the call on a mobile telephone and the police are now dealing with the incident.

A fire service spokesperson said: "Had a real emergency occurred in this area, resources would have had to travel from a greater distance, which would have resulted in an unnecessary delay in help arriving.

"This extra time may be the difference between life and death."

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